“Without ambition, one begins nothing. Without work, one cannot complete anything. The prize will not be shipped to you. “You must win it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882).

The story of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, former governor of Lagos State, prominent politician, and potential president of the country in 2023, offers numerous facets that friends, opponents, and knowledge-seeking social scientists can study. Regardless of who is narrating it and how that individual met Tinubu, one thing is certain: Tinubu’s political grandeur is assured.

This is because Tinubu used his God-given ability and fortune to establish his mark on the country’s political landscape. Unlike his numerous co-elite pals in politics whose large heart is seasonal, Tinubu’s large heart is of all time and strategic. According to this writer’s own experience, Tinubu recognizes ability and pursues it long before he needs it, even if he never does. That’s Tinubu for you.

My first contact with Tinubu sheds light on his enigmatic personality. The talent hunter who looks beyond the immediate. Our paths intersected in 2003, by choice. Prior to our meeting, I served on the Vanguard newspaper’s Editorial Board and wrote a weekly Friday column. At the time, the column was a source of contention for then-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Surprisingly, the severe issues raised in my then-Vanguard daily column may have caught Tinubu’s notice. And evidently, during one of his talks with Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State, and our Vanguard publisher, Mr Sam Amuka (Sad Sam), my name/column came up, and Aremo acknowledged his fatherly bond with me. My choice to formally meet Tinubu was most likely made at one of their meetings.

Then, one night while I was driving home from Apapa, my phone rang, and it was Aremo calling. I took up the phone, and he asked me to meet him at Isaac John in Ikeja. I politely inquired about what was going on, and he replied, ‘Bola wants to see you.’ He told me he’d wait for me in front of the Lagos Country Club in Ikeja so we could get there together.

When his call arrived, I immediately turned my car and drove towards Ikeja, experiencing some traffic along the way.

As I was halfway there, Aremo called again and asked where I had gotten to. When I informed him I was getting close, he told me he was seated in a black Mercedes-Benz Coupe and that once I signaled my arrival, he would lead while I drove behind his car.

When we arrived at Tinubu’s location, I realized that the man behind the wheel and most likely the owner of the Benz Coupe was Adewale Ayuba, a well-known Bonsue Fuji exponent.

Aremo took us inside to see Tinubu at his lovely dining table. During our initial meeting, one thing that stood me about Tinubu was his austere food consumption, as seen by the few items on his plate.

Upon welcoming him, he began relating to me as if we had met years before. We discussed current concerns at the moment before he presented me to his then-Chief of Staff, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who unexpectedly succeeded him as governor. He gave him specific instructions to arrange a visa for me in any nation of my choice. Why he offered me is one of several revelations in my new book, My LASAA Days, which will be released soon.

Since then, I’ve kept in touch with the patriarch of progressive politics, even after leaving Vanguard to join the Editorial Boards of two other newspapers until being appointed MD/CEO of Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency in September 2015. Again, due of my unwavering dedication to Tinubu’s cause.

When I traveled to England for my normal annual holiday in 2013, I had no idea Tinubu was in town and had only heard disgusting rumors about him online. I called Nigeria, and was informed that Tinubu was in London. The next day, in the morning, I took off for his house in Cavendish. When I arrived without an appointment, I pressed the doorbell and heard the voice of the Lion of Bourdillon himself. ‘Who is that?’ I said ‘Bolaji Sanusi’, and he opened the lock and said ‘come upstairs.’ I went upstairs, and he opened the door. One ‘aburo’ who followed me couldn’t believe the great Tinubu’s simplicity; he expected to encounter a wonderfully clothed man, but there was Tinubu standing before him, without airs. The guy smiled as he went, having benefited from his enormous heart.

I stayed with him until the evening and informed him I was leaving for Nigeria the next day. He insisted that I stay for a few more days, and for the next four, I went to his house every day. Sunday Dare, the current Minister of Sports, was his personal assistant, along with one younger aide. I discussed almost whatever I wanted with Asiwaju, and he even chuckled at the rumors going around back home. In accordance with his daily exercise schedule, he rode his static cycle for seven miles every day, putting to rest the rumour that his legs were bad. I wrote about it in my column that week in 2013.

It was during that time in 2013 that I first met my current Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, who met me at Tinubu’s house on one of the days I visited.

Nigerian dignitaries flooded his house, but you can only spend quality time with Tinubu abroad.

At times, one has had the opportunity to collaborate with mentors/egbons such as Dele Alake and Tunji Bello, as well as to reach Asiwaju aims alone via his own understanding.

Tinubu has now announced his aspiration to succeed President Major General Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Hate him or love him, no right-thinking man can deny that he is not seeking such coveted office for the sake of experimentation; he has the experience from his days in government in Alausa, Lagos’ seat of power, and the majority of Lagosians have consistently attested to his phenomenal accomplishments as governor. Nigeria has had enough of experimental, unprepared leadership. From Gowon to Murtala, Obasanjo, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Sonekan, Abacha, Yar’Adua, and Jonathan, the presidency was either acquired by force or bestowed by persons who had little or no collective interest in Nigeria at heart. And at the end of each trial, the country is worse off than when the chemicals were first introduced.

Asiwaju, following Awolowo, has emerged as the most pressing issue in Nigeria’s political landscape, as I noted in an essay written on his 69th birthday. He is a brand that cannot be ignored without incurring significant political consequences. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, during the inauguration of his $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant in Ibeju Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos, Tinubu during his address as the ‘Asiwaju of Nigeria.’ This coming from Africa’s richest man demonstrates the tremendous value placed on Tinubu’s political brand.

Anything Tinubu touches becomes an instant hit in our political system. Until he was appointed Asiwaju of Lagos, the title had little meaning. Similarly, until he was appointed Jagaban of Borgu, little was known about that traditional chieftaincy title outside of the Northern shores. Tinubu has brought Borgu land to Nigerians’ attention. When he took on the position of ‘national leader’ of the ruling party, the sobriquet gained significant political weight.

Those who are outraged by Tinubu’s aspiration to succeed President Buhari in 2023 should consider the ‘God factor.’ This supersedes/neutralises any human-initiated bad plot against other humans. The wish of God shall always triumph over human machinations, at all times. This is when the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist and philosopher, come to mind. Tinubu has started something, taking a big step forward, by declaring his desire to be president before any Nigerian under this administration. Unlike others, he has begun working toward the realization of this dream.

Constructively, no other aspirant in the current administration has demonstrated his degree of political effort and preparedness. Clearly, he is ready to win the presidency, having realized that power is not delivered a la carte. For the reasons stated above, his opponents should brace themselves because the Tinubu brand is here to stay after Tuesday, March 29, 2022, when he will turn 70 years old.

Asiwaju Tinubu, happy 70th birthday, and may everyone your heart’s desires come to pass. Amen.